Malto-Meal Morning

Every once in a while, I splurge. Kinda like people who never quit wanting their breakfast to be Cocoa Puffs every day.

I never got to eat Malto-Meal growing up, though. Hubs neither. Both of us were in families where foods like that and Tang and frozen veggies and tv dinners were extravagances. So we indulge our childhood dreams in this small and enjoyable way.

Well, Spring is sputtering awake around my parts. The weather has been much like Dickens described, "It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer
in the light, and winter in the shade."

All week it's been sunny at times during the day, then cloudy and blustery. No rain, though. We are down 7 inches on the year so far, which is a lot. I just don't remember such a display of seasonal change as in the last year. It's a welcome change.

I finally have a working car now! A birthday present of sorts from the Hubster...getting it fixed, that is. He took off a couple of days last week and got it repaired. The right rear wheel bearings had to be replaced. But then it got sort of ridiculous. There's a diagnostic light that is supposed to come on when there's engine trouble, but as the car aged it came on when the gas cap wasn't on there just exactly like it liked. (My Honda has the same light, and personally I think it's a sneaky way to make you have to take it in to the dealer for maintenance, if you ask me.)

Anyway, the Focus light was on and Hubs took it down to the auto parts store to get it turned off. But he had to then drive it for 40-50 miles in order to let it re-diagnosis all the different things it monitors and a-okay them. Only then would it pass inspection.

For almost 2 days, Hubs drove the Focus around and around, until Saturday it finally was ready to get inspected. Thankfully, it passed or I'd probably still be car-less.

Took it out for the first time yesterday to run some quick errands. It has just over 48,000 miles and I realized that if I drive it slowly I'll enjoy it. That is the key. Otherwise, I'm going to expect it to be as powerful and responsive as the Honda, and that ain't gonna happen. Missy always mentions how powerful the Honda makes her feel when she's driving, and the engine is quick and strong. It could easily be like crack to Missy, who never met a speed limit she obeyed. winkwink

I'm ashamed to say I've gained back those 5 pounds from the holidays. I suspect it was/is the Valentines chocolate, of course. I emailed the nutritionist and she was like, no worries. Immediately begin drinking green tea, cutting out all butter, and get more exercise in. I really can't argue with that.

The last few days have been high on pain for me. I've been trying to get all my sleep, too. And since I'm now doused in drowse, I'll seeya next time!

The whole blogging thing

is not my cuppa tea lately. Here's a bit of what I've been doing when I can remember to snap a photo.
















Struggling lately to post here once a week. I'm "nicer" and less myself on this blog than in real life where I'm pithier and more critical. Sometimes, when I'm not ready or able to turn those aspects of me down, I just don't attempt a post. I've never admitted that before, but lately it irritates me to censor myself and there you have it.

Anyway, I'm going to try to keep up the weekly posting up for now. Our "baby" comes home for the summer today. Hubs is leaving in a little while to go help her move out of the dorm. Since she is being mean and wants her bedroom back, ah! the nerve of her, winkwink, I've been having to spend a lot of time clearing out that room and finding places for a crapload of my art supplies and home decorating goodies. I've been really lazy and just using it as a storage room.

If I asked for your address, please don't give up on me. I have somethings in the works, it's just that the works keep getting interrupted. I've been timidly trying out...playing...with ink and stamping, and in between it all, continuing to cling cushion the world, I mean, my red rubber stamp collection. It just feels like I'm cushioning the world. I have commited to this, though, and will finish if it kills me, which it could I suppose. Yay for my courageous daring, winkwink.

Anyway, here's what can happen when you cover an entire piece of cardstock with off-stamping. (Since I was using Ancient Page, a permanent solvent ink like Stazon, which requires you to stamp off as much ink as possible before stamping on the cleaner pad and then onto very damp paper towels.) That cardstock in the above photo became the backgrounds for these ATC's:

The little inchie stamps are a very old Leave Memories set called Kiss-Off Cubes, and I'll tellya right now: they are addicting. The raven, nest and text are Collage Stuff stamps. And I forget where I got that brick background stamp.

The next time I do this technique, I am stamping off on paper that's been prepped with some gesso and some base color, and I could also paint some of the stamped images with my alcohol inks (I'm really wanting to play with those and I ordered a set of waterbrushes just for this). Then, there's also versamark-stamping and painting with Perfect Pearls, chalk, pastels, glitter.

Anyway, before I get too much into those daydreams, time to get back to dusting, vacuuming and clearing out Missy's room. I might be finished by the time she arrives. Wish me luck and have a good week!

Learning to Love the Weeds

I Love Buttercups...
Patches of Blue...

I Love Old Clover....

And Clover Brand New!


Yep, it be Spring here on the Third Coast. Our night time low temps creep slowly upward, even though so far we've been enjoying cool winds in the day time.

And it's official: the Skeeters have landed. Thankfully they are still in that morning hangover phase: you know they are there, but they act a bit stoned.

So have the humongo tree roaches that can fly. (HATE those...)

In addition to take stolen moments away from my tax returns to enjoy the good and bad of Nature, I had a bit of a traumatic experience last week.

I walked into our detached garage, like I do 2 dozen times a day or so, and almost did not notice the little teeny brown field mouse sitting frozen with his back to me on the cement floor where it meets the garage door. And when I did notice, I was frozen, too.

I have a bad phobia about them little nasty things. I know that people actually keep them as pets, and since we live on the edge of a field / horse pasture those little "cute" ones are the ones we deal with. And, they are not that smart. But you'll never see me owning one as a pet. They totally freak me out.

So, there we are, frozen, both of us. Finally, my brain gets a thought to step forward: push the button and raise the garage door, like he'll just run right out and leave us alone forever. I know, stupid, like he's someone waiting for an elevator.

Just after I raised my arm and pressed the button, I thought uh-oh, what if he turns around and runs back into the dark recesses of our garage? So, I grabbed a little hand shovel that was hanging nearby.

So, I was ready. But still, mouse time stood still. He finally stirred and sure enough, wheeled himself around. So, what did I do? I batted him with the shovel like I was up at bat, out on the driveway. As I contemplated "what now", I watched him land on his side, right in the drip line of the roof overhead. It was raining, and so water was dripping and dabbling all over him, his face, his fur.

What did he do? Without moving anything else, he opened his mouth and started drinking.

It was then I realized he must have eaten some poison that Hubs has set out in the garage. We've had a few mice in prior years that have ingested it and make it into the pool where they drank themselves to a quick bye-bye. That's always fun scooping them out.

Back to my story...Now, Hubs would have beat the mouse flat with the shovel, or worse, just stepped on him. But I was wearing my pink fur thongs and nothing short of my life being imminently threatened would convince me to bloody-and-guts-up up those babies.

No way. No eff-ing way, okay? So, I fell back on my tried-and-true method for trapping snakes that has proven successful for me.

I ran into the house and grabbed a small wide-mouthed pickle jar from the pantry (I'm a packrat in the kitchen too), filled it a third of the way with water, then stopped in the laundry room and poured it full another third of Clorox bleach. Then I grabbed the tongs that hang there for pulling out clothes from the back of the dryer.

I carried my equipment out to the garage, where the mouse was still there writhing out on the driveway and shuddering in the still-dripping drip line. I placed my jar down on the cement and then picked the mouse up by the tail with my tongs and lowered him into his vat of death, dropped the tongs and screwed that lid on tight.

I wiped the tongs down with alcohol and put them in the dishwasher to run on the Scald setting (what I call the Sterilize setting) all by their lonesome (to avoid having to suppress gagging at the thought that my plate or glass mixed liquids with those tongs), and I'm proud of myself that I did not just throw the tongs away.

When Hubs got home from work a few hours later, I was all proud of myself for being so brave and resourceful, so I told him the story. He rolled his eyes and asked, what do I do with the jar now?

I'm like, dude, don't worry, I'll take care of it. Geez, how sissified can men be sometimes?

The jar stayed there on the garage floor until trash day, when I wrapped it up in bubble wrap, taped it securely, and then placed it in the trash. Problem solved, and no blood stains or guts to clean up.

I guess I could argue that I've built a "better mousetrap" - gives new meaning to "in a pickle". Personally, I can't think of a better way to recycle, can you?

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Seems like there's always a test or quiz in Blogland.

For instance, here's the True Color test I found at Colleen's blog. I took it and here's the verdict. You decide, is it me?

What's Aimeslee's True Color?

Her Result: Brown

You're brown, a credible, stable color that's reminiscent of fine wood, rich leather, and wistful melancholy. Most likely, you're a logical, practical person ruled more by your head than your heart. With your inquisitive mind and insatiable curiosity, you're probably a great problem solver. And you always gather all of the facts before coming to a timely, informed decision. Easily intrigued, you're constantly finding new ways to challenge your mind, whether it's by reading the newspaper, playing a trivia game, or composing a piece of music. Brown is an impartial, neutral color, which means you tend to see the difference between fact and opinion easily and are open to many points of view. Trustworthy and steady, you really are a brown at heart.

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=colorogt&c=50652

Then, I {stupidly} took the typing test over at Kim's blog. Like, did I forget I had arthritis in my hands, or something? I was reminded when I got my score: a big 44 words a minute. Dang. Let's just say that score was much higher when I was 25, and I didn't even do secretarial work.
44 words

Speedtest

Adventures in Springtime

"Is it time for our walk, Mom?"



"How about you, Dad? Feel like a walk?"



"You're kidding! It's my turn again?"



"I'm free! Finally, FREE!"



"I'm making a break for it!"



"I have to reach my spot before someone calls me back!"



"Ahhhh! The smells of other pet life...Heaven!"



"I don't know what I'd do without my daily walk..."

Spring has sprung

Well, don't know who is off on Spring Break because I've been such a bad blog reader lately. I've been working so hard and while I read I craft and create art, such as it is, lol. It's literally boiled down to taking each day as it comes in terms of getting things done and some days it's a singular thing done and no more.

It's times like these when the cruel realization that I probably can't hold down a full time job hits me in the most sober way. I am still too scattered brained to multi-task well enough. My blessed Hubster has gotten to where he knows these times and just kicks it up a notch and picks up my slack where he can. That took 20 years, folks. So, never say never, lol. Okay, seriously, he's a sweetheart.

So, anyway, I did a couple of atc's with this week's Bringing It Back challenge in mind. We're supposed to use punchies in our creations, and I wanted to use my frog punch and a Spring theme:



Then, I needed to make my teenaged nephew a birthday card and I was not feeling the guy-card thing at all, so I opted for simplicity and using a vellum phrase and a diecut frame from my giganta-scrap stash:


Then, I got one of those wild hairs up my butt to attempt an atc with Asian mood, but without using typical Asian elements. Whatdya think, was I close at all?:


I'm currently working on some wrapped atc background bases that are alphabet soup made with my oldest KI Memories rub-ons, and I actually have used one color completely up so far. I have six more partially-used sets to go....ho hum, lol. Next time I'll show the ones I have finished.